Rotary for well drilling



March 9,1937. A, MER 2,073,559

f ROTARY FOR WELL DRILLING Filed Nov. 22, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VENTOR.

41/61/5711?[Ii/HEAR 7 M ATTORNEY5 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

(16067 R. M/EE. 4 v 'fiw A. R. MAIER ROTARY WELL DRILLING March 9, 193 7.

Filed Nov. 22, 1934 ATTORNEYS Patented Mar. 9, 1937 UNITED STATES ROTARY roa WELL DRILLING August R. Maier, Dallas, Tex., assignor to Oil Well Supply Company, Dallas, Tex., a corporation of New Jersey Application November- 22, 1934, Serlal No. 754,319

Claims.

My invention relates to a rotary for drilling wells such as petroleum wells.

Rotaries are employed in well drilling to drive a hollow drill stem extending into the well be- 5 ing drilled and comprise a rotatable table for engaging or gripping the drill stem and a driving gear for rotating the table. Owing to the conditions under which these rotaries operate, they are frequently splashed or covered with mud and the gearing and hearings on which the rotaries 'rotate must, therefore, be carefully enclosed to protect them from contact with mud. As the drilling operations and, therefore, the rotary are run substantially continuously during the drill ing of the well, except for slight interruptions,

opportunities are not aflorded to inspect the interior of the rotary or to see that it is properly reservoir and back to the reservoir without substantial loss.

The various features of my invention are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Fig. 1 is a plan view of a rotary embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a vertical section of a detailof the rotary illustrating the path of circulation of the oil or lubricant.

In the accompanying drawings the invention is illustrated by way of example as applied to ao rotary having a base Ill and a table II rotatably supported on the base by means of anti-friction bearings l2. The base l0 has an upstanding outer wall l3 extending upwardly to the under face of the table II, and an inner wall I4 upon which the bearing I2 is supported and forms between the inner and outer walls an annular oil or lubricant channel or reservoir IS. The inner wall It also has a depending flange l3 carrying a bearing liner ll through which there extends downwardly from the table II an inner collar It. The upper base of the table II extends outwardly to the upper edge of the wall l3 and slidably joins the latter in an interlocking seal I! to prevent the inflow of wateror mud. v This seal is still further protected by an annuof the rotary taken lar angle apron 20 mounted on the wall l3 and having a depending flange 2|. The table II carries inner spiders 22 and 23 which serve to grip and hold a drill pipe extending downwardly therethrough.

An extension 24' from the outer wall l3 carries bearings 25 in which is mounted a driving shaft 26 provided at its projecting end with a driving sprocket 21. The extension 24 also provides a lubricant supply 28 for the bearings 25. The 10 shaft 26 extends through the wall l3 and projects above the reservoir IS. A bevel gear 29 is keyed onto this projecting end of the shaft 26 in position to dip into the lubricant carried in the reservoir l5 and also to engage an annular bevel l5 gear 30 mounted on the lower surface of the table ll. As the shaft 26 is driven by the sprocket wheel 21, it rotates the gear 29 and with it the gear 30 and table II and, at the same time, carries lubricant from the reservoir l5 up into con- 20 tact with the gear teeth of the gear 30, lubricating the latter. The lubricant carried up into the gear 30 drips downwardly into the bearing l2 and then into the space between the bearing sleeve H and the depending collar I3, serving H thereby to lubricate the bearings.

It will be understood that the above construction is of'a typical rotary and that my invention may be applied to r'otaries differing from the above in details of construction. 30

In my invention the lubricant passing through the-friction bearings l2 into the bearing space between the sleeve l1 and collar I8 is recovered and returned to the reservoir l5. For'this purpose an annular sump is formed below the sleeve ll by means of an annular ring 3| secured to the bottom edge of the collar l8 by means of screws 32 and having an upwardly extending wall or flange 33 encircling the depend-' ing flange l6 of the base It. Oil or lubricant flowing downwardly through the bearings is thus caught and retained in the annular channel or sump thus formed. When the table I I, and with it the collar l8 andring 3|, rotate, the lubricant in the .sump is also caused to rotate and the centrifugal force thus imparted toit causes it to climb or pile up against the upstanding flange or wall 33 until it overflows the upper edge of the wall. This overflow under-centrifugal force may be somewhat facilitated by inclining the wall 33 outwardly as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. The lubricant thrown outwardly over the edge of the wall 33 is received in an annular trough 34 mounted on the inner surface of the inner wall l4 immediately below the upper edge of 55 the wall 33 and passes through passages 35 in the wall back into the reservoir l5.

It will be apparent that when the rotation of the table stops, the lubricant will flow downwardly from the upper edge of the wall 33, thus ensuring against overflow and loss of lubricant. The ring 3| may extend outwardly beyond the wall 33 in a flange 88 to lessen or eliminate the splashing of mud upwardly against the trough 34 and wall 33.

Through the above invention a lubricating circuit is provided that is entirely enclosed and protected against the entrance of water or mud in the ordinary course of drilling and in which the loss of lubricant is avoided. The lubricant is free to circulate through all of the bearings without risk of loss. 'The rotary may, therefore, be run continuously over long periods of time without inspection or filling with lubricants.

What I claim is:-

l. A well drilling rotary which comprises rotary table having a downwardly depending sleeve, a bearing about said sleeve, a lubricant reservoir, gearing for'driving said table and carrying lubricant from said reservoir into said bearing, a sump carried by said sleeve below said bearing in position to receive lubricant therefrom and having an upper edge above the liquid level of said reservoir over which lubricant may pass under centrifugal force, and means to convey said overflow lubricant to said reservoir.

2. A well drilling rotary which comprises a rotating table having a downwardly depending sleeve, a bearing about said sleeve, a lubricant reservoir, gearing for driving said table and carrying lubricant from said reservoir into said bearing, a sump carried by said sleeve below said bearing in position to receive lubricant and having an upper edge above the liquid level of said reservoir but permitting overflow under centritugal force, a trough encircling said sump and mounted on the inner wall of said reservoir in position below the overflow edge of said sump and communicating with said reservoir.

3. A well drilling rotary which comprises a rotary table having a downwardly depending sleeve, a hearing about said sleeve, a lubricant reservoir, gearing for driving said table and carrying lubricant from said reservoir into said bearing, a sump carried by said sleeve below said bearing in position to receive lubricant therefrom and having an upper edge above the liquid level of said reservoir over which lubricant may pass under centriiugal force, means to convey said overflow lubricant to said reservoir, and a horizontal extension outwardly' from the lower edge of said sump to protect said sump against upward splashing of mud.

4. The rotary'of claim 1 in which the outer wall oi said sump is inclined outwardly.

5. A rotary comprising a rotating table, a hearing for said table, a lubricant reservoir below and outside of said bearing, gearing for driving said table and carrying lubricant from said reservoir into said bearing, and a sump below said bearing and receiving overflow lubricant passing through said bearing, said sump being carried on and rotating with said table and having an upper edge above the liquid level 01' said reservoir and over which lubricant may be projected by centrifugal force to said reservoir.

AUGUST R. MAIER. 

